Cultivate at the Earth Trust

Cultivate is a non-for-profit co-operative society that aims to bring fresh, local, sustainably-grown food direct from farmers to the city and surrounding communities. The social enterprise is run by Dan Betterton, Joe Hassell, Emma Burnett, Julian Cottee and Doireann Lalor.

Cultivate’s two-hectare market garden at the Earth Trust provides the produce sold in the VegVan, their mobile greengrocery, which goes wherever there is community demand. They also supply to restaurants and caterers. Cultivate exists to increase access to local food and to actively push forward the local food movement - it is about new ways of feeding Oxford, a local response to global issues.

As a community benefit society, Cultivate is owned and managed by its members, and any profits are automatically reinvested into the business. People can also join through volunteering work or becoming champions of the scheme in their area.

Find out more at www.cultivateoxford.org, or contact info@cultivateoxford.org, or call 07584082823

Cultivate is part of the Earth Trust's Farm Step Programme.

Photograph by kind permission of Oxford Mail

Click here to listen to Julian and Dan talking about their new social enterprise on The Food Programme on BBC Radio 4 (minutes 0:16:35 - 0:19:13).